Bone-black filter



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(N0 Mode 1.)

F. O. MATTHIESSEN.

BONE BLACK FILTER.

N0. 329,329. Patented 001;. 2'7, 1885.

\wxxmaevex N. PETERS. PHohrLilhognpnor. Wnshmgmn. D. C.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets'Sheet 2. F. O. MATTHIESSEN.

BONE BLACK FILTER. No. 329,329. Patented Oct. 27, 1885.

N, PETERS, Photo-Lithographer, Wanhinglon, D. (I

ilNiTnn STnTns PATENT @FFEQE.

FRANZ O. MATTHIESSEN, OF IRVINGTON, NEXV YORK.

BONE-BLACK FELTER.

$PECIPECATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 829,329, dated October 27, 1885.

Application filed May 29, 1885.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANZ 0. Mx'rrnins- SEN, of Irvington, New York, have invented certain Improvements in Bone-Black Filters, of which the following is a specification.

My improvement relates to continuously operating filters for decolorizing saccharine liquors by the process of upward filtration through bone-black; and my invention consists in means for mechanically compressing the bone-black in the filtering-chamber, and also, in connection therewith,means for gradually removing the exhausted bone-black from the bottom of the filtering-chamber and correspondingly feeding fresh bone-black into the top of the filtering-chamber.

The accompanying drawings of abone-black filter to which my improvements are applied are as follows:

Figure 1 is a central vertical section of the filtering-chamber, the chamber for receiving the exhausted b0ne-blaek, and the elevatortube. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the line 00 a: on Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a horizontal section through the line 3/ y on Fig. 1. Figs. 4 and 5 are vertical sections through the line 2 z on Fig. 1.

My apparatus consists of a metallic cylin der, A, the principal portion of which is intended to contain boneblacl; in a compressed condition, and constitutes the filteringchanr ber 13. The mass of bone-black in the filtering-chamber is supported upon the top of the horizontal rotating scraper O, in which there are radially-slotted openings G, which incline downwardly and backwardly from its direc tion of rotation. The rim of the rotating scraper is supported upon the slightly-conical rollers (Z d (Z, &c., whose shafts are radially arranged and are provided with hearings in suitably-curved standards d d, erected within a circumferential enlargement, D, of the cylinder A. The rotating scraper O is affixed to the vertical shaft E, the lower end of which is stepped in the bearing E on the top of the transversebeam E supported by the diagonal braces E and E". A transverse vertical plate, F, extends across the filtering-chamber just above the scraper C, and is fastened at its ends to the opposite side walls of the cylinder A. The vertical plate F serves as a stripper Serial No. 166,993. (No model.)

and prevents the mass of bone-black from being bodily rotated, and thus facilitates the action of the scraper in shearing or scraping off the bone-black from the bottom of the mass contained in the filteringchamber. The boneblack in the filtering-chamber is compressed downward by means of the rotating screw or compressor G, affixed to the lower end of the hollow shaft G, through which the shaft E passes. The shaft E, at the lower end of the hollow shaft G, is surrounded by the glandpacking G-, by means of which the sugar-liquor is prevented from escaping upward into the annular-space between the shaft E and the interior wall of' the hollow shaft G. The compressor G may be in the form of a two, three, four, or more threaded screw, or in the form of a propeller having several suitablywinding-blades, g g gg. The adjacent opposed edges of the blades, respectively, are affixed to the lower ends of the vertical tubes 9 gg g, the upper ends of which are inserted in the bottom ll of the freshhone-black magazine H, which is affixed to the hollow shaft G. As will be seen, each of the tubes in crossseetion has the shape of a truncated wedge. The shaft G passes through the center of the bone-black magazine H, immediately above which it is provided with a journal in the horizontal beam I, which extends across and is supported at its ends respectively upon the opposite side walls of the cylinder A. The hollow shaft G is provided with a fixed collar or shoulder, G, which bears upon the upper end of the journal I in the beam 1. At its upper end the hollow shaft G has affixed to it the bevel-wheel G, the teeth of which are engaged by the teeth of the bevel-pinion G affixed to the horizontal drivingshaf't G The outer ends of the screw or propeller blades g g 5 g are affixed to the interior wall of the short cylinder 9", which is the rim of the compressor G, and is supported upon the conical rollers k 7; 7;, 850., the horizontal shafts of which are radially arranged and are provided with bearings in the standards k k, erected within the circumferential enlargement K of the cylinder A.

The screw-blades or propeller-blades g g gg are provided with numerous small holes J J J, &c., for the escape of sugar-liquor from the those tubes will drain through the holesj into the collection-chamber J. At its upper end the shaft E is provided with the bevel-wheel e, the teeth of which are engaged by the teeth of the pinion e, affixed to the horizontal driving-shaft 6 The bone-black in the magazine H falls through the tubes 9, and by the rota tion of the compressor is compressed in a downward direction upon the top of the mass of bone-black contained in the filteringcham ber. By the rotation of the shaft E the scraper O is rotated, and the exhausted bone-black is thereby sheared or scraped off the bottom of the mass of bone-black in the filtering-chamber and falls down the inclined side wall, L, of the receivingchamber L into the bottom of the elevator-tube M, from which it is elevated by means of the chain-and-bucket elevator N, the buckets n n, &c., of which are made of I wire-gauze, or are perforated in order that the sugar-liquor may be drained from the bone black contained in them after they are elevated above the level at which the sugar liquor stands in the elevator tube, this level being, preferably, somewhat higher than the level of the openings in the filtering cylinder, through which the decolorized and filtered sugar-liquor is discharged. At its upper end the elevator-tube is provided with the inclined chute N, upon which the contents of the bucketsmt, &c., are discharged as they are successively carried over the shaft of the upper wheel, M, of the elevator. The sugar-liquor to be filtered, supplied from a suitable reservoir through the pipe P, inserted in the upper part of the elevator-tube, fills the elevator chamber and rises by hydrostatic pressure through the mass of bone-black contained in the filtering'chamber, and escapes through the perforations in the compressor G or in the tubes 9 into the collection-chamber J, from which it is discharged through the perforations P in the Wall of the cylinder A into a gallery or annular trough, O, erected upon the exterior of the cylinder A, from which it is conducted off by the pipe P In using my apparatus the operations of removing the exhausted bone-black from the bottom of the mass of bone-black contained in the filtering-chamber and of feeding fresh bone-blackinto the upper part of the filteringchamber may either be performed continuously by a very slow rotatory movement of the compressor G and the scraper O, or, if desired, may be performed independently of each other or intermittently, care being takento remove the exhausted bone-black before the stratum of exhausted bone-black has acquired too great thickness, and, similarly, care being taken to feed the proper quantity of fresh bone-black into the upper part of the filtering-chamber to compensate for the exhausted bone-black removed from the lower part thereof, and to maintain the bone-black in the filtering-chamber in a compacted condition, so that the interstices between the particles of bone-black in the filtering-chamber will be comparatively minute, and no sugar-liquor can be forced through the filtering-chamber without acquiring contact with a suitable quantity of fresh or unexhausted boneblack to effectually decolorize it.

Upon consideration it will be seen -that the extent to which the bone-black in the filteringchamber may be compacted is controllable by varying the speed of rotation of the scraper O relatively to the speed of rotation of the compressor. The operationmay be so conducted that the stratum of fresh bone-black at the top of the filtering-chamber is that which is the most closely compacted; or by a very slow and gradual removal of the bone-black from the bottom of the filtering-chamber the entire mass of filtering material may become closely compacted, because as the operation continues the close-compacted stratum which was at the top of the filtering-chamber gradually moves downward and finally reaches the bottom of the filtering-chamber. Thus,if the exhausted bone-black be removed slowly, the

sion of the bone-black contained in the lower part of the chamber, the speed of rotation of the scraper will be increased, and thus the exhausted bone-black in the bottom of the chamber will be more rapidly removed.

I claim as my invention- 1. In continuously-operating filters for decolorizing saccharine liquors by the process of upward filtration through bone-black, a filtering-chamber provided at the top with a rotating compressor or screw having vopenings between itsblades for feeding fresh bone-black into the filtering-chamber, means forrotating the said compressor, and thereby pressing downward and compacting the mass of boneblack contained in the filtering-chamber, in combination with means for'supporting the bottom of the said mass of bone-black and for gradually removing the exhausted bone-black therefrom,whereby the bone-black in the filtering chamber may be maintained in a compacted condition by feeding into and compressing at the top of the filtering-chamber a quantity of fresh bone-black corresponding to the quantity of exhausted bone black removed from the bottom of the filtering-chamber.

' 2. The scraper O, for supporting the mass of bone-black contained in the filtering-chamber,

in combination with a transverse stripping plate, F, and means for rotating the said scraper, and thereby gradually shearing or scraping the exhausted bone-black from the bottom of the mass of bone black contained in the filtering-chamber.

3. The filtering-chamber B, means for supporting the mass of boneblack therein, and for gradually removing the exhausted boneblack from the bottom of the said mass, the receiving-chamber L, having its side walls suitably inclined, as shown, the elevator-tube M, and the chain-a11dbucket elevator N, in combination with a supplypipe for supplying the receiving-chamber L with sugarliquor under sufficient pressure to enable it to force its way upward through the mass of bone-blacl contained in the filtering chamber and out of dischargeopenings at or near the top of the filtering-chamber.

4. The compressor G, the fresh-boneblack magazine H, the tubes 9' g, for feeding the fresh boneblack from the magazine H downward through the spaces between the blades of the compressor, the shaft G, to which the compressor and the magazine H are affixed, and means for rotating the said shaft, and thereby feeding fresh bone-black downward upon the mass of boneblack contained in the filtering-chamber, aud compressing it thereon, and means for supporting the bottom of the mass of boneblack contained in the filteringchamber, and means for gradually removing the exhausted boneb1ack therefrom, substantially as described.

5. The compressor G, provided with openings between its blades through which fresh bone-black is fed into the top of the filteringchamber, means for rotating the said compressor, and the scraper O, for supporting the mass of bone-black contained in the filteringchamber, means for rotating the scraper O independently of the compressor G, and thereby regulating the degree of compactness of the mass of bone-black contained in the filteringchamber.

6. The compressor G, affixed to the hollow shaft G, and means for rotating said shaft, and the scraper O, affixed to the vertical shaft E, inserted through the hollow shaft G, and 

